Ethiopian plans 787 flights to Hangzhou and Europe

Ethiopian Airlines plans to operate its Boeing 787s to Hangzhou in China and destinations in Europe once it receives more of the aircraft.

The Star Alliance carrier currently makes a stop in New Delhi on its daily flight between Addis Ababa and Hangzhou, says the carrier's chief executive Tewolde Gebremariam. Schedules in Innovata show that the airline operates Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft on the route.

Gebremariam told Flightglobal recently that the airline will operate the 787 on its flights to Washington DC and Guangzhou later this year. Ethiopian received its first 787 on 14 August and it is currently operating it to various destinations in Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

Once it receives its second 787 in September, it will operate the aircraft on its daily Washington DC route. It will take delivery of a third and fourth 787 in October and November respectively, after which it will begin 787 flights to Guangzhou.

Ethiopian had ordered 10 Boeing 787s, and Gebremariam expects all of them to be delivered by the end of 2014. The airline also has orders for 12 Airbus A350-900s, the first of which will be delivered in 2017.

The airline currently owns just over half of its fleet, but plans to own about 60% of its fleet as part of a strategic plan outlining its growth until 2025, says Gebremariam.